Subject:Wood
Entries
Entry 1703
Now yo' take a woodpecker - now, he'll git up an' he'll peck a hole in a tree. Well now, yo' take dat sap [wood peckings] - dat inside whut he pick out dere, yo' take dat an' yo' kin powder it up an' yo' kin use hit fo' sickness. Yo' take dat wood he peck out dere an' yo' carry it home an' yo' keep it in a box or somepin, an'. it's lak if you have a toothache, yo' take one splinter[iil of dat, pick yore teeth until it bleeds. Well, yo' take dat blood den an' yo' wipe it on a silk piece of cloth. After yo' wipe it on a silk piece of cloth, yo' take dat little silk piece an' carry it an' put it in de fire - kinda put it right under de grate [under a brick] in de fireplace. When yo' put it under dere yo' speak two words, say, "Stay till." Don't nevah say nuthin else. Jest say, "Stay till, stay till [doomsday]." Well, now dat cures de toothache on yo'.
Entry 1704
A wood louse is good fo' yallah ja'ndice. Yo' take nine wood louse an' put it in sweet milk an' feed it to de person an' dat kill de yallah ja'ndice.
Entry 1705
A wood rat. You can take that rat's skin and dry it and make him eat it and that'll stop him from wetting the bed. [The more usual folklore remedy is eating a mouse prepared many ways (Nos. 6308-6309); similar cures being a head louse eaten (No. 6306), or drinking tea from "white droppings of a dog" (No. 6302) - FACI,2ed., 1965, p.289.] [New Orleans, La., (855), 1352:6.] [What is a hand? A hand is a magic helper, an object or act, which aids a person in obtaining a desire. Aladdin's lamp was not a hand because anyone could rub it to activate the indwelling spirit. Quite otherwise a hand concerns known user - it being dressed, powered for him alone, usually toward a single purpose.] [We have already examined many hands: the Black Cat Lucky Bone (pp.74-97); healing hands in Cure and Protection (pp.4lO-519); divining hands in Diagnosis (pp.165-217), particularly the talking hand, Jack (pp.190-193). Talking hand reminds me that hand has other names, among them - toby, guide, shield, roots, mojo, jomo (transposition of syllables in mojo), and hoodoo bag.] [Of interest are what I name battery hands - those that lose strength and must be recharged or they weaken and die. Recharging is called feeding and substances fed are whiskey, perfumes, urine and other liquids. Spirits do not eat solid food. A spirit of course never dies; it merely deserts its temporary dwelling place. Similarly, desertion happens to a lost hand - some informants believing the hand returns to its maker!] [A hand can become a fetish, even a part of oneself. Most instructive here are living hands - the unfortunate chicken (No. 205, p.58), and the two wandering snakes (No. 239, p.66.]
Entry 2055
From a lightnin'-struck tree yo' kin take a splin- ter an' go 'head an' boil it, an' put it in whiskey or somepin lak dat. An' dere any girl or somepin othah yo' love an' give her some of dat whiskey, dat will bring her to yo' - 'cause dat's fiah, bring her to yo'. [Hands also in margin-title Wood (2) Struck by Light- ning, p.514f.]
Entry 2849
They take a knife and form [carve] it.
(What do they do with that wooden doll?)
They also put it on mantelpiece [often used as altar], or either lay it out like somebody is dead and burn the candles on that. That's the way I saw it did once - just like somebody laying out dead, you see. And they say [that] makes a persons sick - see, they keep sick all the time and dry up. That's in the shape of a person, you see.
Entry 3830
[This is a brief note made of a rite on an untranscribed cylinder:] ["Wood sawyer, boiled with lard, makes salve to untie.] [Memphis, Tenn., (966), 1561:3.]
[I have divided this section into two subsections: EVERYDAY BLOOD and HER PRIVATE TIME. Neither subsection holds all material on its subject. Such mat- ters as drawing blood from a witch, the bleeding corpse, and others had to be classified elsewhere. Even menstrual blood will be found scattered throughout HOODO0.]
Entry 4864
Dey kin mess yuh up on dat. Dey take dat chew know at times, take yore undahpiece dat's been worn an' carry it tuh a lake or tuh a creek where dere's runnin' watah. An' den, if it's a straight pieceorifit'satwc piece, yo' know lak undahweah, an' yuh tie it on tuh a block [of wood]. An' den yuh put nine needles on dat same block an' nine pins. Let dem be goldeye nee- dles. An' turn dat ovahbo'd an' yuh got 'em dere.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat eat [it]. Dat's drivin' de person away.
Entry 5168
Yo' git de inside sole of a man's shoe. All right now. Yo' git some lightnin'-struck wood an' yo' take some sweet milk, an' yo' soak dat three days. Den yo' make a dress of dat [dressing or hand of wood and milk] an' yo' go tuh de crossroad where hit like dat, see [demonstrates a crossroad]. Den yo' call - git some salt.
[Here is an example of details often omitted in an interview.]
(Wait a minute! What do you mean you call?)
Call 'is name, say, "Ah wanta run So-an'-so." YO' HAVE TUH CALL 'EM TUH RUN "EM. Git chew some salt an' yo' make a dressin' of dat an' yo' bury dat. An' YO' TELL IT WHUT CHEW WANT IT TUH DO. An' evah - in about three days yo' go back there an' make yore dressin' an' tell it whut chew want it tuh do. DAT LIGHTNIN'-STRUCK WOOD GIT'S 'EM CONFUSED IN 'IS MIND. Yo' haVe tuh work 'is mind to do anythin' wit it. [This piece of wood dressed with lightning, milk and salt, 3 things, becomes a hand.]
Entry 5170
Take a man's shoe, right shoe. Take de measure of it an' put some new pins an' needles in it, nine of each. An' yuh take [up] de sill [saddle] of de do'. Yuh know, pull [up] de sill of de do'. An' yuh put it [tape measure] down dere, tack it down dere. An' he have tuh cross ovah it, yuh see, an' [to] git inside. Dat will keep a person stayin' aroun' home.[Informant repeats for good measure:] Yuh git a piece of new tape an' take de measure of [right] shoe. Take it from yuh an' bring it tuh yuh. An' den yuh take dat an' pin de needles an' pins tight all de Way tuh yuh, an' as yuh put 'em in call 'is name. Den yuh take de sill [saddle] of de do' up an' yuh tack it [tape] down an' leave it stay dere. When yuh move out'a dat house, yuh take it up an' carry it wit chew. Evahwhere yuh move yuh carry it wit chew.
Entry 5474
If dey wan' chew tuh leave town - if yo' givin' dem trouble an' dey Wan' chew tuh leave town, why dey'd ketch it [your track]. If yo' goin' dis way, dey'd ketch it disaway. Den dey would take dis dirt - take it an' put it in a new piece of home- spun. When yo' go tuh a graveyard, git chew two bran'- new teaspoons. Go tuh a graveyard wit two bran'-new tea- spoons. Git chew two teaspoonsfulla dirt offa two sinnahs graves. Well, yo' takes two pennies an' pay each one of dese sinnahs fo' de dirt. Well, yo' takes dat gunpowdah an' thundah-strucken wood, red peppah, an' mix it all tuhgethah. What ah mean thundah-strucken iw where lightning struck a tree. Well yo' take it an' divide it intuh two parts. Yo' put one in a red chunk bottle [bottle with long neck] an' bury it in de east, an' yo' put de othah one in a red chunk bottle an' yo' go tuh runnin' watah, an' yo' pitch it 'cross yore shouldah - turn yore back, pitch it 'cross yore shouldah. Befo' yo' pitch it 'cross yore shouldah, yo' say, yo' do dis, In de Name of de Father, an' de Son an' de Holy Ghost - fo' yo' tuh go an' nevah return. An' in three days time yo'll be left town, yo' can't stay. Yo'll tread dat watah until yo' drown.
(You say you put all that stuff in a red chunk bottle?)
In a red bottle - quart bottle [the ordinary brown beer or whiskey bottle one "chunks" or throws away.]
(Which shoulder do you throw that over?)
Ovah yore lef' shouldah.
Entry 5518
Yo' would go an' walk roun' yore house, roun' an' roun', an' take five - ah don' know much about it but dis is whut ah heard mah ole people say. Take five li'le - well, jis' take yo' five [wood] chips dat maybe yo' had cut sometime. Yo' know dat chew had cut 'em sometime dere. An' dis fellah evah who yo' thought had did dat... (Had planted this thing down.) Had planted it fo' yo', yo' burn dem [wood chips] an' git chew some of 'is tracks sure. Make sure dat it 'is tracks an' burn it [5 chips]. Put it in a cup or sompin an' put it where it kin git hot, an' jis' burn dat coal good - mix it wit dat dirt. An' some way or 'nothah jis' t'row where dat he kin git it on 'im - somewhere. Maybe jis' sprinkle it aroun' 'is baid or in 'is baid, an' dat won' bothah yo', so dey tell me. Ah don't know, ah nevah tried it.
(Well, what do you do with those five chips?)
Well, yo' burn 'em - yo' burn 'em an' mix 'em wit dis dirt, but yo' must be sure dat it's some dat he have cut offa somethin', an' yo' must be positive dat dat's 'is dirt dat he walked on.
(You mean you burn this track and these five chips?)
Yes, burn 'em an' sprinkle it somewhere roun' where he kin git tuh it, see.
Entry 5699
Dey take a person dat's goin' from yo'. Dey make a new paddle out of a shingle or a bo'd of any kind; jis' so dat chew make a paddle out of it - lak a spoon-lak, yo' know. Yo' carry it in yore pocket three days, knowin where dat party's track is, an' yo' ketch de sand out of de hollah of dere foot, SCoOP IT OVAH YO' LEF' SHOULDAH [see later]. Yo' pray dis prayah, it's de same thing, says, In de Name of God, return. An' go on. Throw de paddle ovah dere an' dey'll come back. [The preceding Words SCOOP IT OVAH YO' LEF' SHOULDAH mean that you kneel down behind the departing tracks, push the paddle forward under one of the tracks, say, "In the Name of God, return, '' and carefully lift the paddle, throw the dirt back over your left shoulder - that is, towards your home.]
Entry 5759
Now, yo' kin go in de woods an' DERE SOME LI'LE VINES DAT GROWS WHERE A LOTTA ROTTEN WOOD GROWS, STRINGY VINE WIT WORM-LAK HAIDS. YO'VE SEEN DESE KINDA EARTHWORMS WIT NO PAHTIC'LAH Well, dere's a vine grows in rotten wood in de earth, grows'mingled an' tangled wit de rotten wood. Both of 'ems [plant and animal has] got sharp ends. Yo' go an' git some of dat vine.
(What is the vine called?)
AH DON'T KNOW, IT JIS' COME UP IN DAT ROTTEN WOOD. AH RECKON AH WOULD CALL II DE ROTTEN-WOOD VINE, 'CUZ DERE NO OTHAH VINE GROW LAK DAT. [Take] dat vine an' take de same dust outa de instep. In othah words, git dat an' turn de person. Lak de person goin' dataway, yo' take de dirt outa his feet goin' backwards. Ketch it from 'is toes an' take it backward dat way, an' bary dem things aroun' de home. Put a li'le table salt in it. Dere yo' got 'em. Dose three compositions will drive 'em away outa de home.
(That will drive them out of the home.)
Entry 6071
Anything lak a man's wife is gone off an' he wanta git 'er back. Well, de way he git 'er back, why he take a stran' of hair out de mole of 'er haid, an' a stran' outa heah, an' put it in a needle whut chew sew wit. (A strand of hair from the top of her head and the hair from below.) An' stick it in a needle An' stick it up in de do'step. De mo' where she come out an' go ovah it, de mo' de mo' think about chew. So she can't leave him, she'll go back to him.
Entry 6099
Git de hair out chure haid an' mix it wit bluestone, red peppah, gunpowdah, thundah- strucken wood an' put it in a bottle an' bear [bury] it, an' dat'll give yo' headache for- evah an' eternal until yo' go some place an' see somebody an' git 'em to dig dat stuff up.
(What was that last thing you put in the bottle?)
Ah said, bluestone, gunpowdah, an' red peppah an' stops it up in a red bottle an' bear [bury] it. [I was trying to obtain a repetition of thundah-strucken wood, a rare term for the more usual liahtnina-struck wood (see p.599). Thundah-strucken wood of course is associated with the thunderbolt and thunderbolt hand (p.655). For thumderbolt see FACI, 1st ed., No.5380; 2nd ed., No.5786. Informant in present rite ismarked good]
Entry 6680
Yo' kin take nine new needles an' nine new pins an' nails - nine nails - an' put in a bottle. An' den yo' kin take one dese heah worm outa from undah de bottom [bark] see, think dey call 'em sawyah.
(Wood Sawyer?)
Yes sir. Dey got two little bills [horns] whut cuts in de wood. [These worms - the larvae of sawyers, several large longicorn bettles - bore large holes in timber or dead trees. Both worm and bettle are often called wood sawyers.] Put dat in dat bottle an' bury it down in de path where he walks. An' den, when he walk ovah dat, he'll ketch 'em in 'is foot. An' dat same worm [larva] whut chew see in dat bo'd, dat yo' put in dat bottle, jis' true as [what?]. [It will enter 'im an'] eat 'im up. [But this ailment can be cured.] Dat way [if you are in that condition] yo' got'a go tuh a root doctah de same way [as before]. Now a root doctor, he got'a take 'em out. A medical doctor don't do it.
(What would a root doctor do to get that worm out of him, I wonder.)
He goes an' git de root from de - dey call black haw an' red oak bark an' a stingin' nettle root. Put dat up in a bottle an' yo' got'a take. Dat stingin' nettle root, will run 'im out dere. [The other two help and also make 3 ingre- dients.]
(Well, what do you do with these roots? Make a tea of them or what?)
Yes.
Entry 6681
Yo' kin take a drop of frog blood, an' a drop of snake blood, an' a drop of dese here wood sawyahs. He's in dis ole rotten wood, wit a flat haid. (He's in the wood, sort of a worm. What color is the worm?) White, with a flat haid. Take dat blood an' put it on a sandwich an' give it tuh anybody; an' if dey eat dat, dose things will grow in 'em. (They take these drops from each one of these three things and put it on the sandwich, separately or what?) No, put 'em on dere tuhgethah.
Entry 6989
Ah heard dat if yo' kin git tuh a tree where de lightnin' struck an' if yo suffah wit toothache, well yo' take an' git one of dose splintahs outa dere an' pick yore tooth till it bleed an' it will cure de toothache.
Entry 7525
[A person] jis' died, yes. Git graveyard dirt, dig it off de head of a white man's grave. Undahstan', go tuh a white man's grave. Go out an' git some wood ashes - ashes burnt from wood, yuh know. [Wood ashes are the payment!] An' put it in de grave an' take about, aroun' about a half a tablespoonful of cayenne peppah, an' put it in through dat [graveyard dirt] an' stir it up - mix it all up. An' when yuh git dat mixed up, make dust out of it yuh undahstan', an' pass it on de hants. Called hants [al spirit, yo' know.
(What will they do with that? What will they do with that then?)
What will yuh do wit it?
(Yes?)
Well, de spirit, somepin like yore hants be - have de spirits. Git yuh dat dirt an' jis' sprinkle it aroun' yore place of business - round about, like dis house is [your place of business]. Well, yuh jis' sprinkle it all aroun' yore house, sprinkle it jis' dere [nowhere else].
(What will that do then?)
That will run 'em away.
(Run what away?)
De hants.
(The hants?)
Yes.
Entry 7695
Lak yo' go tuh de graveyard an' git a footbo'd, or prob'ly somepin simple as a ole piece of tree stump, or sompin lak dat, or some kin'a log out de graveyard. Dey could take dat an jes' t'row it right down in fron' of yore do'. Why yo' not payin' so much 'tention tuh it. Why yo' say, "Well, dat's only ole piece of wood." Somebody comes by an' say, "Look, [So-an'-so] yo' not goin' any bettah." [You become ill and are not improving.] An' dat'll make yo' move, too.
Entry 7928
Yo' go tuh de graveyard an' dat tree - lotsa times yo' know dere's elm trees in de graveyard. Yo' git dat wood an' yo' burns it in de fiahplace an' yo's be tantalizin' - ah don't know. But mah wife, she tolt [told] me dat. (You burn it in whose fireplace?) Jes' in de house, in yore fiahplace, yo' kin burn dat. Say, "Heah's a piece of wood." Go lay on dere [lay the wood in the fireplace] an' usely [usual- ly] dey moves out, dey can't stay. (If there are some of your neighbors that [disturb you], you want to make them move out, you get a piece of that wood and burn it in the fireplace?) Dat's right. [Sumter, S. Car., (1342), 2322:12.] [This final subsection (3) concludes section 10 on death and also ends the di- visional survey devoted to THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF. Had it been possible to separate all death material, including that in INTERVIEWS into a separate book, a more orderly arrangement of rites could have been found. Eyen so. prob- lems would still remain; symbolism and all those beliefs said to cause death.]
Entry 8000
Well, yo' takes de box an' make it jes' in de shape of a coffin. Well, he takes 'is knife an' he cuts in a man jes' de shape of a man. See, or jes' de shape of a woman, jes' whichevah one he wanted it tuh favor. Well, he takes dat an' puts it in dat little coffin. Takes 'im a pin an' takes 'im a pair of pliers, wire pliers an' cut de pin [head] off tes' deep enough tuh jes' suppose it wuz a little tack. Put dat man in dere, an' on dat man's back write whoevah name he want it tuh be on dere. Well, he takes dat, take an' carry it tuh dis man's house, if he kin git tuh 'is house at night, tuh whatevah dat yo' kin find, sech as flowahs an' hedges or anything lak dat. Dig yo' a hole as though it is a grave an' put it in dere an' covah it up. Well, in a few days he'll be daid.
(What do you cut that little figure from? What do you cut it out of?)
Well, yo' kin take a piece of elm wood. Fo' him tuh lingah a long time, yo' kin take a piece of elm wood or eithah a piece of ash wood, jes' whichevah is soft enough fo' yore knife tuh cut. An' cut it out of wood an' make it out of wood. An' make it outa wood an' take de pins an' evahthing an' jes' nail 'em in dere. It has tuh be exactly like a casket [coffin]. An' yo' don't have tuh fo'- git tuh put de man's name, whoevah it is dat chew's mad wit. Jes' put dat name on 'is back an' lay it right in dere.
Entry 8001
You can cut out of paper or you can cut them off from shingles and make the image of a person, and write the name and whatever you wish. Well, you can take this shingle and carry it and throw it in running water, or you bury it, or you can take it and hang it upon the side of a tree and let it blow away. That's if you want to run 'em away.
Entry 8745
Jes' go to de sunrise side of a tree an' graze dat side.
(Smooth the side off?)
Yes sir, an' take [these grazings from] dat side of de tree. Now if de person livin' dis direction, an' de sunrise dis, yo' take de sunrise side of dat tree - take dat off, see. Dey call his name. Take a horn, a cow horn, an' scrape a little off it an' put it in dat horn, an' den scrape some offa de sunrise side of dat tree; an' call his name an' every time yo' call it, yo' blow dat horn - about eight times. An' aftah de eight time - de eight times - like yo' blows it easy, an' de ninth, blows it loud as yo' wanta. But turn - if yo on dat side [see later explanation], yo' turn it dis side, if yo' want 'em come ack disaway. Yo' blow it, de dust out dat horn. He'll come home. (You blow that dust toward where he is and then he'll come back. If he's over Chere, you blow it this way to bring him back; if he's over in that direction, you slou the dust in the opposite direction to bring him back.) [A cow-horn expert will be needed to explain what happens here, just how the oov horn is held and handled. It has been 60 years since I saw and tried to blow a cow horn!] Jes' like he ovah dis side, yo' turn yore back an' blow de dust tuhward 'im. (You put htat - some scrapings from the cow horn in the horn and some scrap- igs from the tree into the horn, and blow it ou on the ninth time.) Yo' take de scrapings of de tree - go tuh de sunrise side - an' if he on de lgoin'-down [side] yo' work it from de sun-goin'-down, if he out dat way. See. 血 de way he is yo' gotta blow dat dust ovah heah. (But you must get these scrapings from the sunrise side of the tree, always, matter which direction he is?) Dat's right, take it from de sunrise side of de tree if he's... [I have had cmough and interrupt.] (Suppose he's at the sunrise side, then what side would I take it - now wait inute! Suppose he's on the sunrise side. Now what side of the tree would I te those scrapings from?) At de sunrise side. Take it from dis side, de west side, de sun-goin'-down. (Otherwise, in whatever direction he is - no matter what direction he's in - roa take these scrapings from the opposite side of this tree from where he is. Esean, you don't always take it from the sunrise side?) No sir.
(That's what I wanted to find out.)
It's foah [four] ways to dat, dat he kin go. (And you will take it from the opposite side of the tree from which he is - scrapings?) Yes.
Entry 8903
Jes' lak dey's steal somepin from yo' an' yo' wants tuh find out who is de one dat done it. Why yo' take an' git chew a piece of black gum [wood] an' burn dat wood till it come tuh a ashes. An' den yo' take dat ashes an' put it intuh a vial an' put some Hearts Cologne in dat vial where'bouts chew got dat ashes. An' yo' let dat sit dere fo' 'bout five days an' if dat cologne turns de color of dem ashes, why whosomevah stole dat stuff, dey bring it back. Now ah ain't nevah tried it but ah heah dat. [What would my informant in the State of Georgia call a black gum tree? Normally I would say the tree (Nyssa sylva- tica), which has closed-grained wood, entire leaves and small blue-black drupa- ceous fruits. This tree, growing east of the Mississippi River, is also called sour gum, tupelo, and pepperidge. Closely related is a tree (N. biflora) con- fined to the southern United States. The preceding tupelo, a word from the Creek Indian language meaning Swamp tree, could also mean any other tree of the genus Nyssa, especially N. aquatica of the southeastern United States. After this rite Was transcribed years ago I marked it doubtful because I could not understand how black-gum ashes were able to divine theft and make the thief return the stolen property. Later a possible answer came. In the Southern states years ago a bee- hive Was made from a section of a hollow gum tree. Surely the original ashes came from a piece of beehive supplying stinging power. Join this with intention.
Entry 8940
Somebody stealin' anything from you an' he passes.through de door - he's gotta, yo' know. Yo' take a axe an' go right over de door, on de inside an' on de outside, cut off little splinters, don't care how small it is. An' go right out into the yard where there's a cart, or a wagon or automobile or anything. If it's a automobile, you've got to jack the wheel up. Then yo' lose it so yo' kin pull it off de axle an' put de two splinters right in there, an' shove it right back on. An' yo' call this thief: Thief, turn your ways backwards. Oh, Thief, yo' shall be turned back. Yo' shall stand up in your track. Yo' shall not walk one inch front nor back until yo' come back an' bring my stolen' goods to me. Say that three times. An' stop asking him to bring it back and walk away. In less time than thirty minutes, yo'll see someone coming.
Entry 8942
No - if yo' know where - if dey went in de front do', yo' jes' cut a piece off dat do' an' yo' take it an' pull off a wheel - jack up de wagon an' yo' stick dat wood in dere [on the axle] an' yo' [restore wheel and] turn it to yo' all de time. Yo' turn dat wheel to yo' an' jes' [say], "Ah demand yo' to return dis stolen goods' or sompin lak dat. Dey'll come tuh yuh, yes sir [and return goods]. But chew cut a piece from de gate or any place which dey'd be in - git chew jes' a small piece - it don't have to be so large an' yo' turn de wheel. Turns it to yuh, if yo' would have dem come to yuh, which dey more den apt.
Entry 8944
" Jes' lak somebody take somepin outa dis room heah. Yo' kin take a knife an' trim off a li'le trimmin' off dat do' dere, where yo' go out. An' yo' kin take an' care [carry] it - go tuh a man who got a wagon an' take de left-hand reah [rear] wheel off. An' put dat on dat spindle where dat[wheel] turn ovah on - put dat trimmin' whut chew got off dat do'. An' put de wheel back on dere an' yo' say, Thief, return, an' yo' turn dat wheel far- vards three times an' den yo' turn it backwards. Say, Thief, return de stolen goods which was taken outen mah possession. An' in seven days he'll return dose goods back to yo' - money or anything else. An' if he haven't got de goods, he'll come an' tell yo' dat he'll pay yo' fo' dose goods.
Entry 9108
Ah heard dat jes' lak if yo' wuz tuh git in trouble, somepin lak, an' dey prob'ly let chew out on a bond. Well, ah hear'd dat chew would jis' go in de woods an' git chew de heart outa red oak tree. An' yo' takes de heart of dis tree an' yo' takes an' trims it down, an' yo' puts it in a bag, an' hangs it right ovah yore heart. An' den whenevah yo' git ready tuh go down fo' dem tuh try yuh or anything, says, "Now yo' have dese two hearts tuhgethah." Den dat'll be three hearts, yo know: his heart, yore heart an' de red-oak-tree's heart, supposed all tuh be as one. Well, yore mind is goin' be fo' tuh free yo', an' den, says dis heah heart of de tree will work wit de heart of de man. An' dey says, den dat'll cuz yore case tuh be lagged, cuz dem tuh give yuh lightah terms. (Well, now, what do you mean by the heart of the red oak? What do you mean by the heart?) De heart of de tree. See, yo' cuts de tree, cuts it down, jes' lak yo' cut it right down. Well, dey gits de middle outa dis tree. Yo' takes an' cuts a piece of dis heah tree, jes' trim it down an' shape it wit yore heart jes' lak a heart.
(You make it in the shape of a heart.)
Yo' take dis heah an' put it right ovah yore heart. Den yo' goes down tuh trial an' dese three hearts...
Entry 9808
Yo' take seven needles an' yo' take seven straight pins an' yo' take three nails. An' yo' kin take a quart of watah an' de stoppah tuh shet [shut] de quart bottle. An' y'o kin put dem dere seven needles an' dem dere straight pins an' dem three nails in dat quart of watah. An' yo' put dat stoppah in dere. Stop it up, but don' try tuh stop it tight. An' yo' place it at sun risin' undah yore baid. An' if yo' wanta kill a puh- son - lak yo' wanta kill 'im- yo' kin hit dat stoppah wit a hammah. But yo' don' want no iron hammah, yo' wants a kinda wooden hammah, yo' undahstand. [Wooden hammer is rare in HOODOO.] An' yo' hit dat a certain many times evah mawnin' tuh kill a puhson, an' yo' hit it one time aftah it's gone down, dat sun, jes' tuh lingah dat person - jes' tuh put 'im sick, where he be Bo mo good, jes' lingahin'. An' when dem needles rust out, he rust out. It won't kill 'im right away. Take dem nails an' needles in dat quart bottle, an' yo' kin hit dat stoppah three times where de sun rise an' in seventeen days he'll be daid.... [Here I turned off machine too quickly and had to reopen conversation with a qoestion.1
(Where do you put this bottle then? Do you put it under the victim's bed?)
No sir, yo' put it undah yore baid, an' when yo' hit dat, take it out evah sasnin'-time yo' git up, an' hit dat stoppah an' jes' call [the name of] which ane yo' wanta do [kill]. If yo' want 'im tuh lingah, yo' kin hit dat stoppah ane time, as de sun goin' down, de sun settin' in de weat; an' if yo' wanta Hul 'im, yo' kin hit it early in de mawnin' three times.
Entry 10281
Take nine wood lices, little ole white looking things, an' yo' kin take an' parch 'em an' rub 'em in de seat of yore [his] britches an' he won't evah mess wit nobody else.
Entry 11307
Take cat or dog hair an' take a piece of wood an' split de Wood. Stick de hair in dis wood an' nail it down at chure back steps, an' de dog will nevah leave home 'lessen someone taken dat away.
Entry 11323
Ah heard dat yo' could go tuh a dogwood tree an' cut de no'th side of it, an' de s'uth side of it; see, if somebody comin' tuh yore house dat chew want tuh stay 'way from dere. If yo' cut dat tree tuh de no'th side an' de s'uth side, dwy would sta y'way. Ah've heard dat. (How do you mean cut it?) Jes' cut it wit a knife, split it up. Stick it down an' split it up. Yo' know, jes' be cuttin' it, de bark off upon each side of de tree. [Wilson, N. Car.,. (1479), 2658:15.]
Entry 12309
(Where do they put that?)
At de fo'k of de road. (Then they use it for any kind of work they want to do, this lightning-struck wood?) On de sunrise side. Whatevah side de sun rise. Dey put it dere at exactly sunrise. When de sun peekin' ovah de eastern hills dey puts it down. Yeah, dey moves jes' as dey mind tells 'em to move it. Dey doesn't leave it dere all de time. Dey keeps dat wood. [This "pro- fessional worker" I call him is saying there are no set rules.]
Entry 12312
Ah kin take three stobs outa dat [lightning-struck] tree, de same one, an' dem concemin' of another thing. Den yo' kin use dose de side of de house or inside of it, or wherevah dey passes ovah. An' aftah dey goes ovah dat, dey gits tied up wit pain. An', too, ag'in, 'lessen yo' kin find anothah fellah [doctor] in three days, dey'll be contin'ly [in pain] - nevah be cured of it till you [some doctor] find dat. Ah know a man in mah own neighborhood, he gits de wood off a tree struck by lightnin' an' dat officer come right down fur as de lot, but as fur comin' in... [This policeman did not enter man's house, did not set foot on man's land.]
Entry 12314
Ah heard dat yo' kin go tuh de tree where lightnin' strike an' git three splinters or jes' as many splinters off de tree as yo' got corner at chure house, [like] corner of yore yard, yo' know. An' git some bluestone an' vaseline an' bluestone. Mix it tuhgethah an' grease dis lightnin'-strike splinter an' peg it at each corner of yore house. See, fo' tuh keep polices an' things from roun' yore house. Dat's whut dat's fo'. Ah know dat's good.
(So no one will bother you in your home?)
Dat's it.
Entry 12315
Dey's go down to de fo'ks of de road where it'd [it would] fo'k like dis [demonstrates] an' have yo' some thunder-lightning pegs - lighted [lightning] pegs where de thunder knocked a piece off de tree. Take it [piece of wood] an' make pegs - nine pegs. An' drive 'em in de fo'ks of de road an' call on God an' de devil to hear yo' drivin', an' make dem people turn. Dey goin' another way, won't go out dat way. [To change a person's mind at the crossroads is not a rare rite.] (You call upon the person that you don't want to go out that way.) [Man for centuries could not understand primitive man's tools such as arrowheads, and since they were sometimes found under a tree, a lightning-struck one, it became a thunderbolt. That tree could have grown up 1000 years after the arrowhead had been lost! See the woman looking for a thunderbolt to ease her rheumatism, warm up her bones, in Folklore from Adams County Illinois, Ist ed., No.5380, 2nd ed., No.5786. Also see HOODOO, v.1, Nos.635, 2336 & 2337.]
Entry 12319
Yo' take some wood from a tree where de lightnin' struck an' throw it on yore hearth, make yore wishes, an' dere be wrath in dere all de time. An' yo' take dat light- nin'-struck tree an' throw it under dere house, dey'll have tuh move. Dey can't stay dere. (When you throw that piece of wood on the fireplace there will be fighting in the house all the time?) Yes sir.
Entry 12320
Well, any kinda tree but de lightnin' have tuh be done struck it.
(Well, what would they do about that?)
Well, jes' lak now if yo' prob'bly be mah next-do' neighbah an' ah can't git along wit chew or sompin of de kind in no way ah do, an' ah wants tuh move yo' from dere, an' de light- nin' done struck a tree or sompin lak dat. Ah jes' go dere an' take a ole piece of wood - jes' a ole slab or sompin off dere - sompin lak dat chew know an' throw it anywhere round yore house an' yo' gotta go.
Entry 12321
Git a piece of, yo' know jes' de lightnin' strike a tree or sompin othah lak dat. Tell me yo' kin git a ole piece of wood yo' know, from de tree yo' know, where de lightnin' has struck, an' throw it underneath dere house an' dey tell me dey'll move.
(They will move away.)
Entry 12322
Ah tell whut lightnin' will do. If yo' take - if de lightnin' struck a tree, yo' kin take dat tree when de lightnin' struck it an' run anybody 'way from dere dat chew wanta. (How would they do that?) Why aftah de lightnin' strike de tree, then yo' take that wood an' yo' bury that wood under the people's step where they walk ovah it, an' that will walk 'em away.
Entry 12323
It bad luck if yo' burn dat wood. (That lightning-struck wood.) Somebody certain in de family tuh die dat yeah, if dey burn dat wood dat wuz struck by lightnin'. It be awful bad luck tuh do dat, burn dat in yore house.
Entry 12324
Yo' could use de strucken wood, de wood where it strucken by lightnin', an' dey said dat dey use it on a person an' dey said dat dis person will soon die.
(How would you use it on a person?)
Well, jes' go tuh work an' make a tea an' put de tea tuh de bread, from de same wood. Jes' take it an' put it in a pot an' boil it, an' give de person de tea. Or eithah jes' mix it in whatsomevah dey eat. From lightnin'-strucken [wood]. (Well, what about burning the wood. Did you say something would happen about that?) If dey burn de wood, de person will soon die.
(Who Would soon die?)
Whosomevah goes tuh work an' use de wood. Well, if dey use it In de Name of de Lord, dey couldn't take it, dey say. But yo' kin use it fo' whut chew wanta use it fo'.
Entry 12326
Said yo' could git a piece where de lightnin' struck. (A piece of wood from a tree that the lightning struck.) An' put on yore pot [put pot on fire] an' put it [lightning-struck wood] in dere an' boil it, an' scour [the bed] wit it in March, an' it will kill out de bugs, de chinches [bedbugs].
Entry 12327
Sho', de splinter from a tree [struck by lightning] is lucky fo' a gamblin' han' an' de toothache. As fur as de gamblin' han' ah don't know direct, 'cause ah don' gamble; but peoples dat have had de toothache have veri- fied dat statement dat it is good.
Entry 12569
An' yo' kin take fo' pegs, yo' know. An' cut little pegs an' put 'em round yore house an' put 'em down out dere an' say 'bout "De Lord is mah shep- herd.... An' de sher- iff - ah don't care how much likker an' stuff yo' sell, dey won't even come round. Don't care whut chew do dere, dey won't come to yore house.
(How many pegs do you put down?)
Jest git chew some little wooden pegs.
(How many did you say?)
Foah - an' peg on each side of yore yard, an' de sheriff won't even come no- where round dere. [The pegs are at the 4 cardinal points of the compass.]
Entry 12726
Them goes to work and git a rabbit - a wood rabbit foot - and put salt on it and wrop it up tight and he nevah tell you no. (The boss won't.) No. You must go de same day [you catch rabbit]. If you kin know de day yo' birth, dey bery day yo' birth, go dat day. President Roosevelt can't tell you no. [Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt could not refuse you.]
(What foot do you take?)
Right one.
(Which one, front or back?)
De one in de front, de front foot.
Entry 13243
Well, whut she do to make him stay, she take a teaspoonful of wood ashes an' a teaspoonful of spice, an' a teaspoonful of sugar, an' put it in de bed whbre he sleeps at. If he sleep on it he'll stay there.
Entry 13326
De way ah've heard it now, dey split de tree - a little small sap- ling. Dey jes' split dat tree an' yo' kin take de trimmin'. Jes' lak yo' split it - yo' split de tree an' yo' cut out inside dere. Yo' take yore pocketknife an' yo' cut out de trimmin' 股中商 outa dere. An' den yo' take dat trimmin' an' den yo' go an' yo' - jes' lak a person dat chew see dat chew kere [care] fo' lak dat. Well yo' take de trimmin' outa dat an' yo' slip it in some of his clothes - yo' know, anywhere in de individual's clothes dat he wears regularly. Yo' understand, sew it up in his bindin' an' dey tell me dat'll bind two [one] couple together [you know] make dem cleave to one another. Dat's fur as ah evah hear of dat.
(What does that tree do then?)
Well, dat tree grows - yo' know, hit'll go back together, yo' understand me.